Devices with capacitive sensors need to be tested as part of the manufacturing process. There are various ways to do this, which depend on the type of system being tested. This invention is focused on testing of systems or assemblies having discrete capacitive touch and object detection sensors.
Existing test solutions have a number of problems. They can be slow, expensive, and complicated. Some testing methods require an operator to touch every sensor as part of the test procedure. This is slow and error prone, since it relies on an operator to touch the sensors with a consistent force and contact area. Other tests use a robotic system with a test “finger” that touches each point as part of the test. This system is more consistent and somewhat faster than tests that rely on an operator, but it is complex and expensive; it is also still relatively slow since it requires that the test finger touch each conductive area in sequence.
What is needed is a way to test a capacitive sensor assembly quickly and inexpensively.